


You’ll always be my only guiding light - act II

by YouKeepMeRight



Series: Merlin & Arthur’s travels [3]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, Arthur Knows About Merlin's Magic (Merlin), Can you believe it?, Idiots in Love, Learning to be Loved, Light Angst, M/M, Merlioske-friendly, Post-Canon, they keep being idiots even after the first kiss
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-04
Updated: 2021-03-04
Packaged: 2021-03-17 20:40:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,052
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29847186
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YouKeepMeRight/pseuds/YouKeepMeRight
Summary: “Come on! We’ll be soaking wet in a matter of seconds!”Arthur was squeezing Merlin’s hand, tugging him towards the end of the street, where they would have found refuge inside the hotel. Their room was ready to welcome them back into its warm embrace, with comfortable beds and fluffy pillows, offering them the privacy they desperately needed.After Arthur's return, Merlin and Arthur begin to travel around the world. During their journey, they'll discover more about the modern era and about themselves. Sequel ofthis
Relationships: Merlin & Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Series: Merlin & Arthur’s travels [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2124519
Comments: 5
Kudos: 22
Collections: Merlin Bingo, The Melee Challenge





	You’ll always be my only guiding light - act II

**Author's Note:**

> Written for week 3 of the [Merlin Fic Server Book Club](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MerlinFicBookClub) Melee Challenge with prompt “Rain”  
> Written for Merlin Bingo, prompt "learning to be loved"

“Come on! We’ll be soaking wet in a matter of seconds!”

Arthur was squeezing Merlin’s hand, tugging him towards the end of the street, where they would have found refuge inside the hotel. Their room was ready to welcome them back into its warm embrace, with comfortable beds and fluffy pillows, offering them the privacy they desperately needed.

But Merlin stood frozen to the spot, his eyes turned upwards. Dark clouds hovered over them, a downpour threatening to flood Venice. The gloom of the evening was broken now and again by bolts of lightning.

Merlin looked ethereal and majestic in the flashing lights. Arthur gazed at him, bewildered. “As much as I would like to kneel in front of you right now,” Arthur spoke louder over the thunder’s rumble. “I would prefer to _worship_ you in other ways. Somewhere private, if you wouldn’t mind.” Arthur raised a brow and Merlin stood under his scrutiny until something lit up in his eyes and all of a sudden they were running through the downpour.

Once they were safe inside their room, Merlin looked once again frozen with bewilderment.

“If you’ve changed your mind,” Arthur began, removing his drenched shirt. Arthur had his back turned to the sorcerer, but when Arthur looked at his face again, he found there both intense passion and impenetrable melancholy.

“You can’t think I could _possibly_ change my mind,” Merlin stated in a dark voice. “Thousands of years have passed, yet here I am, loving you like the day you told me I was the bravest man you’d ever known.”

“What is it then?” Arthur sighed, crossing the room in two long strides and standing right in front of Merlin. “What’s this insecurity I see in your eyes?” Arthur spoke with concern and genuine affection.

“I’m not worried about your feelings. I know they’re here, real and solid like my magic.” Merlin lifted a hand to caress Arthur’s cheek, that simple gesture holding so much devotion Arthur had to close his eyes and take a deep breath.

“But at the same time,” Merlin continued in a whisper, “I’m afraid I don’t know how to be loved. After all this time, I’ve built a wall around me. How do I tear it down?”

“That’s what worries you?” Arthur opened his eyes, repeating the question he had asked a long time ago when he was about to die. He looked at Merlin like he was still the same wonderful, overwhelming mystery.

“Merlin, let me tell you a secret,” Arthur announced, resting his forehead against Merlin’s. “Nobody knows exactly how that works. Average people don’t even know how to love themselves as much as they deserve, let alone let another person close enough to fill that void with their own love.”

“Then, what do average people do?” Merlin’s voice was trembling, and his lips brushed tenderly against Arthur’s remarkably soft ones.

“They learn together every day how to be loved, and they never stop,” Arthur murmured, before crushing his lips against Merlin’s in a fierce kiss that left them both breathless.

When they parted, Arthur pointed towards their single, separated beds.

“Wanna push them together?” Arthur smirked.

“Please,” Merlin begged in a trembling voice, like he still couldn’t believe this could be real. Arthur noticed that.

“What can I do to make you believe this is actually happening?” Arthur lay down on the right side of their now king size bed and opened his arms, waiting for Merlin to settle into his warm, welcoming embrace.

"Could you just...hold me?" Merlin removed his geeky t-shirt and nestled into Arthur's arms, curled towards his side. His eyes were avoiding Arthur's intense scrutiny.

For a while, they stayed like that, listening to the pounding rain. When they were finally drifting off, a sudden clap of thunder made them both startle. Arthur tightened his hold on Merlin’s waist.

“Are you alright?” the blond one asked, lifting Merlin’s chin with one hand.

The only answer Merlin gave was a kiss on his mouth, Merlin’s teeth scraping those tempting lips and demanding they open up for him. Arthur allowed himself to moan loudly when Merlin’s tongue firmly caressed his.

“I don’t want to move too fast but,” Arthur began, but was interrupted by Merlin’s chuckle.

“Fast? After a thousand and five hundred years of longing?” Merlin asked, pecking Arthur’s chin.

“When you’re right,” Arthur agreed and rolled over Merlin, his body a welcomed weight, and Merlin groaned with pleasure. “This is so...” he whispered.

“What?” Arthur looked him in the eyes briefly, pausing his kisses along Merlin’s long white neck.

“Amazing. Unbelievable. Extraordinary.” Merlin muttered, his pupils huge and his hands restless on Arthur’s back and in his hair.

“You know what would be even more extraordinary? Seeing you naked.” Arthur smiled wickedly. “You’ve seen me without clothes so many times back in Camelot! The only thing I could do was dream about you.”

“Oh, really? What were your dreams about?” Merlin asked, biting Arthur’s chin.

“Actually they were fantasies more than dreams. Sometimes, after you had left my chambers, I had the sudden urge to touch myself.” Arthur admitted, laying on his side so his hand could travel down towards Merlin’s zipper. Merlin whimpered.

“What else?” Merlin urged.

Arthur played with the waistband of Merlin’s underwear. “I sat on my bed and imagined you, sweating on the training field, with a bucket of water in your hands. Don’t think I didn’t notice you building those muscles, especially during the last years.” Arthur concluded with a kiss on Merlin’s pectorals.

“So Gwaine was right,” Merlin commented with a grin. “You were ogling me all the time.”

“I’ll always look at you, Merlin. I can’t stop looking at you. Ever.” Then Arthur kissed him again, hard, framing his head between his hands.

It took them only a few more minutes to get fully naked. When they were finally skin to skin, Merlin got goosebumps.

“Fuck, Arthur!” the sorcerer cursed.

They began to move erratically, settling for rubbing against each other. It wasn’t graceful or perfect, but it was enough. It took them very little to reach the peak, and when they finally gained their breath back, the gaze they shared was one even the famous Casanova, who used to run among the narrow streets of Venice, would have envied.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm so late with this fic I might as well change my username in "Internet Explorer" *facepalm*  
> Btw I hope you liked this little sequel. For me, it has been a welcomed distraction in a frankly scary situation.  
> Once again, thanks so much to [Lishan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/gelishan) for her precious help.


End file.
